The present invention relates to a connector for use in a wire harness for a vehicle. Particularly, the present invention relates to a connector which includes a push-back or a pull-back mechanism to prevent a half fitted state.
Conventionally, as a connector of this type, there is known a connector which is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication 64-51276 and is shown in FIGS. 1 to 3.
In FIGS. 1 to 3, a connector 1 comprises a connector housing 2, which includes a hood portion 2a in the front portion thereof and is capable of holding within the hood portion 2a a male terminal metal member 4a in an erect manner, and a connector housing 3 which is formed so as to be insertable into the hood portion 2a and is also capable of holding a female terminal metal member 4b connectable with the male terminal metal member 4a, while there is provided between the two connector housings 2 and 3 a spring mechanism 5 which can generate such a force which causes the two connector housings 2 and 3 to push them out from each other or pull them back toward each other according to their mutual insertion positions.
The spring mechanism 5 includes two conical slopes 6a and 3a which are formed so as to face each other in the insertion surfaces of the connector housings 2 and 3. In particular, one conical slope 3a is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the connector housing 3, while the other conical slope 6a is provided in a drive piece member 6 which is supported in such a manner that it can be rotated with respect to the connector housing 2 and also which is energized toward the connector housing 3.
In connecting the connector housings 2 and 3 with each other or disconnecting them from each other, when the terminal metal members 4a and 4b are in half engagement with each other, the slanting surfaces of the conical slopes 6a and 3a are engaged with each other due to the resilient force of the coil spring 7, which applies such a force to the connector housings 2 and 3 that moves them in the inserting or removing direction of the connector 1. That is, when the mutually facing slanting surfaces of the conical slopes 6a and 3a are in mutual contact with each other, the two connector housings 2 and 3 are respectively given a force which pushes them out from each other in the removing or separating direction. On the other hand, when the oppositely disposed slanting surfaces thereof are in mutual contact with each other, the connector housings 2 and 3 are respectively given a force which pulls them back toward each other in the fitting or engaging direction.
However, in the above-mentioned conventional connector, there are left the following problems to be solved.
That is, at a position where the push-out and pull-back states are switched over to each other, there exists the above-mentioned force no longer in the inserting or removing direction, which raises a possibility that the connector can be engaged in a half fitted state.
Also, in the neighborhood of the above-mentioned state switch-over position, the force in the inserting or removing direction is reduced in magnitude and, in order to make up for the reduced force, if there is employed a spring having a greater force, then a greater inserting or removing force is required of an operator, which results in a lowered operationability of the connector.
Further, due to the fact that the direction of the resilient force of the coil spring is switched over by means of the engagement between the slanting surfaces of the conical slopes, there can be obtained only a poor efficiency and, therefore, the size of the connector must be large in order to obtain a desired inserting or removing force.
Conventionally, as connectors including a push-back mechanism to prevent a half fitted state, there are known connectors which are disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publications 5-43484, 5-53157, and Japanese Patent Publications 5-121121 respectively.
Each of them includes a pair of connector housings and a spring to generate a reaction force, in which a push-out force is generated by means of the reaction of the spring during a connector fitting operation to thereby prevent the connector housings from being left half fitted with each other. When compared with the connectors that have been used before, the above-mentioned conventional connectors respectively include a movable member which can be used to remove the reaction of the spring when the connector fitting operation is completed.
In the above-mentioned conventional connectors, it is necessary to separately provide a movable member to remove the reaction of the spring on completion of the connector fitting operation, which increases the number of parts as well as takes time and labor for assembling it to the connector.
As a spring storage mechanism of the conventional connector, there is known a mechanism which comprises a box-shaped storage case having an opening for insertion of a spring and a cover member capable of covering this opening, wherein the opening of the storage case is closed after the spring is stored through the opening into the storage case; and, there is also known another mechanism which comprises a box-shaped storage case having one end left opened and including a lance on the inner peripheral surface thereof, wherein a spring is pushed into the storage case and secured to the lance.
However, in the former mechanism, the spring can be stored into the spring storage case without using any special jig, but the spring storage case is composed of two parts. In the latter, although the spring storage case has an integral structure, the spring must be pushed in more deeply than the opening of the storage case in order to be able to secure the spring to the lance provided on the inner peripheral wall of the storage case, which requires a jig.